United States Visa (DS-160) photo requirements
The exact size, ratio, file-size window and head tolerance set by U.S. Department of State — and a free tool below that frames your photo to match, entirely in your browser.
- Ratio
- 1:1 (square)
- Print size
- 2 × 2 in
- Pixels
- 600×600 – 1200×1200
- File size
- max 240 KB
- Head height
- 50–69%
- There is no published minimum file size, so we deliberately do not inflate the file. A small file is not a failure here.
- The DS-160 upload rejects photos that show obvious retouching or AI-style alteration of facial features.
Read this before you rely on an edited photo
Many immigration and passport authorities require a photograph that has not been digitally altered. Replacing a background, smoothing skin, enhancing with AI, or applying a camera filter can all be treated as manipulation and can get an application refused or disqualified — regardless of whether the file passes an automated size check. Reframing, rotating and resizing are not alteration; changing the content of the picture is.
Background replacement is switched onhere so the result is usable straight away, and you can turn it off in Auto-fix if your authority requires an unaltered photograph — for a US passport, DS-160, DS-260 or DV entry, we would. Exposure correction stays off. Whatever you choose, look at your own photo for filters or “portrait” beautification your phone may have applied on its own — the safest fix for a bad background or bad lighting is always to retake it.
Your photo is reframed to the document’s tolerances, then audited.
Add your photoDrop your photo here
Take one now, or pick an existing photo. Any framing works — a full-length shot is fine, the face is found and cropped for you. Nothing is uploaded.JPG or PNG, any size or framing — a full-length shot is fine, the face is found and cropped for you. Nothing is uploaded.
Upload or capture a photo and every published tolerance for this document gets checked and reported here.
United States Visa (DS-160) photo questions
What size photo is needed for a United States Visa (DS-160)?+
A United States Visa (DS-160) photo is 1:1 (square), printed at 2 × 2 in. Digitally it must be between 600×600 and 1200×1200 pixels, in JPEG format, no larger than 240 KB.
How large should the head be in a United States Visa (DS-160) photo?+
The head must measure 50% to 69% of the total image height, from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head including hair. The eyes must sit 56% to 69% of the way up from the bottom edge. The background must be plain white or off-white.
Where do these United States Visa (DS-160) figures come from?+
U.S. Department of State digital image requirements for the DS-160 via the Consular Electronic Application Center: square, 600×600 to 1200×1200 pixels, JPEG, 240 KB maximum, sRGB.